Rail punch



April 25, 1939. P. M. BIBB 2,156,172

RAIL PUNCH Filed June 23, 1958 Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to an improved punch for perforating the web of railroad rails.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide an improved portable punch adapted to 5 be readily attached to a railroad rail and to be manually actuated for perforating the web of the rail.

One object of this invention is to provide a rail punching device adapted to be actuated by a cam mechanism to project the punch, and containing spring means for retracting the punch and returning the operating mechanism to its normal position after each operation thereof.

Still a further object of the invention, is to provide a construction capable of being manually actuated for punching holes in the web of railroad rails, of a very simple and durable construction adapted to be manually actuated and containing means for readily disengaging the device from the rail.

7 Still a further object of the invention is to provide a device having means for readily positioning the punching bit relatively to the rail so that all of the perforations made in the Web of the rail will be at the same distance from the rail head and base.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, which 30 illustrates a preferred form of the invention, and

wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the device, in its normal position,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the punch in a projected position with its bit extending through the web of a conventional railroad rail,

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 illustrating the angular 40 position assumed by the device when in use,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical central sectional view partly in elevation of the device,

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the 45 line 5-5 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one end of the frame or arch shaped member.

Referring more particularly to the drawing 50 wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, ID designates generally the arch shaped frame having a slot I l at its top, forming a handhold by means of which the device may be car- 55 ried, and I2 and I3 designate the opposite enlarged depending ends of the frame III. A member I4 extends downwardly from the underside of the arch I0, between the ends I2 and I3, and adjacent to the end I2, which is provided with an opening I5 in alignment with an opening or bore I6 in the end I3.

A punch designated generally I! and comprising a shank I8 which is slidably mounted in openings I 5 and I6, is provided with the threaded portions I9 and 20 to receive the nuts 2| and 22. 10 Expansion coil springs 23 are mounted on shank I8 between the guide member I4 and nut 2|, and between the end I3 and nut 22 to retain the reduced bit 24 of the punch I! in spaced relationship to the end I2. 1 3, 7

End I2 is provided with a bore 25 having an enlarged inner end in which is mounted an insert 26 having a bore 21 extending therethrough. Bores 25 and 21 converge slightly toward their inner ends, or toward the guide I4, with the 20 inner end of the bore 21 sized to receive the bit 24. The insert 26 is formed of a hardened tool steel to receive the thrust of .the bit 24. 6

As seen in Figures 3 and 6, ends I2 and I3 are provided with the lower edges 28 disposed 25 at an oblique angle to the plane of the frame II] so that the tool is positioned diagonally to the perpendicular when in engagement with the rail designated generally 29, as best seen in Figure 3. End I2 is provided with an upper beveled portion 30 30 disposed parallel to its base 28 to engage against the underside of the rail head 3|, as seen in Figure 2, and with the cut-out portion 32 into which is fitted one side of the rail base 33. The web 34 of the rail, is positioned in the space 35 between the exposed end of the insert 26 and the free end of the bit 24, so that the bit 24, when projected, will be driven through the web 24 and the material punched therefrom will be forced into the bore 21 and will drop out through the bore 25, which diverges outwardly, when the tool is removed from the rail and the end I2 tilted downwardly.

A lever, designated generally 35, comprises a socket or sleeve portion 36 which is loosely mounted on the shank I8, and an upwardly extending lever 31 by means of which the sleeve 36 may be turned relatively to the shank I8. Sleeve portion 36 is provided with an enlarged annular recess 38 in which are journaled the anti-friction rollers 39 to engage the shank I8 to permit the lever 35 to turn freely relatively thereto.

End I3 at its inner edge is provided with a spiral cam face 40, and the adjacent end of the is reserved to make such variations and changes sleeve 36 is provided with a corresponding cam surface 4|, the surfaces 40 and 4| co-acting with each other when the lever is moved through an are away from the frame |0, as seen in Figure 1, to move the member 35 away from the end |3. Cam surfaces and 4| form the shoulders 42 and 43, respectively, which abut when the lever member 35 is in its normal position as seen in Figure 1.

A U-shaped member 44 is removably positioned between the opposite edge of the sleeve 36 and the nut 2| and frictionally held therein by the springs 23.

From the foregoing it will be seen, that before the U-shaped member 44 is positioned between nut 2| and sleeve 35, the bit 24 will be sufficiently retracted so that the device may be applied to the rail 29, after which the end of the punch containing the nut 22 is forced inwardly so that the Ushaped member 44 can be positioned between nut 2| and sleeve 35 to retain the parts in position as seen in Figure 1. By pulling downwardly on the handle 31 of the operator 35, sleeve 36 will be moved so that the cam surfaces 46 and 4| will assume the position as seen in Figure 2 to project the punch H to drive its bit 24 through the web 34 of the rail 29. Handle 3! is then released and thecoil springs 23 will retract punch l1 and return the operator member 35 to its position as seen in Figure 1, after which member 44 is removed permitting punch I! to be fully retracted by springs 23 so that the device may be disengaged from the rail 29.

Various modifications and changes may obviously be made and are contemplated and the right as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rail punch comprising an arch shaped member, a punch having its shank slidably mounted in one of the ends of said arch shaped member, said end being provided onits inner side with a cam face, a lever having a socket portion loosely mounted on said shank, said socket portion having a cam face corresponding to said other cam face, spring means normally retaining said punch in a retracted position and said cam faces in flush engagement, and means adjustably connected to the shank of said punch and engaging the socket of saidlever to project the punch into engagement with the opposite end of the arch when the lever is moved relatively to the arch.

2. A rail punch comprising an arch shaped member, a bit slidably mounted in one end of said arch shaped member, said end being provided with a cam face, a lever mounted on said bit and having a cam portion to engage and co-act with said cam face, means keyed to said bit and engaging said lever causing the bit to be projected into engagement with the opposite end of said arch shaped member when the lever is actuated, and expansion coil springs carried by said bit to normally retain it in a retracted position.

3. In a rail punch, an arch shaped member having a guide member depending therefrom between its ends, a punch slidably mounted in one end of said arch and in said guide, an operator mounted on said punch between said end and guide, said end and operator being provided with co-acting cam surfaces, stops adjustably positioned on said punch on corresponding sides of said end and guide, expansion coil springs having their ends engaging said guide and the end of the arch and said stops, to normally retain the punch in a retracted position, said operator engaging one of said stops to project the punch when actuated relatively to the arch, and the opposite end of said arch and guide forming a space adapted to receive a rail and through which the punching end of said punch is projected to engage the rail.

4. A device as in claim 3, and a U-shape member removably positioned between the operator and one of said stops, said member being removable to permit the punch to be fully retracted for disengaging the device from the rail.

5. In a rail punch, an arch shaped frame having a depending guide member disposed between and adjacent one of its ends, a rail punch having an enlarged shank slidably mounted in the 0pposite end of said arch and in said guide, an operator mounted on said shank, said operator and the last mentioned end of said arch being provided with co-actirig cam portions, stops adjustably positioned on said shank on opposite sides of said last mentioned end, spring means carried by said shank and normally urging said punch to a retracted position, one. of' said stops engaging said operator to project the punch by movement of the operator relatively to the arch, saidpunch being provided with a reduced bit disposed in the space between the first mentioned end and the guide and adapted to perforate the shank of a rail positioned in said space when actuated by said operator.

PEARL M. BIBB. 

